Rinse and Repeat
by Happy11567
Summary: Do you like work? Well, Kasumi certainly doesn't, but he has to work anyways... Poor guy... Maybe he can convince Asuha to help him? Probably not. Includes fantastic forehead from the Doudemo li Sekai Nante light novel (among other characters).
1. Chapter One

It has been two months since the last election in the city of Chiba. Calling it an election would be a disgrace to what an election is supposed to be. Neither of the two candidates that were elected ran in the first place. In fact, the only reason that Asuha and I became the head and subhead for the city was because of Renge's attempted coup d'etat and the battle that took place at the auditorium afterwards.

This had created quite the uproar among some of the more conservative members of the military since all the previous heads and subheads were the members of the military who held the most points. As an army reject who's barely got any points to boot, I fulfilled none of the requirements. But the legitimacy I lacked was certainly made up for by my sister. Asuha has held one of the top scores in the military since the beginning of her middle school days. The only thing that prevented Asuha from becoming head any earlier was her own lack of interest.

As a result, Asuha was able to promptly take care of any cases of opposition towards me being subhead, albeit with three cases of broken ribs. Even after that I wouldn't go as far to say that the punks were okay with me being in charge, but considering Asuha's presence, at least they learned to keep it to themselves.

Now after most of the dust had calmed down over the election, I was left with the horrendously tedious job of tidying up. First off was to repair the damage that occurred when Asuha destroyed the city prison along with parts of the auditorium. And as you know, repairs aren't free.

The work dumped onto me continuously by Tsurube didn't help either. Since being a subhead doesn't mean you get to just be the subhead of Chiba, it meant having to do your subhead work alongside your regular job. Usually for the punks it didn't really matter, but as for me, I was still stuck as a completely normal employee at the manufacturing branch. To top everything off, being the subhead didn't offer you any additional points either, the system just assumed that if you were the subhead of Chiba, you just simply had _enough._

After Tsurube became the logistics manager for city staff and as well as keeping her title as head of the manufacturing branch she shamelessly pushed all of her excess work onto me. Including the return transfer of Renge back into the manufacturing branch.

 _Yay, what fun._

But at least it seemed for the meantime the chaotic transition period was over. As all of Chiba calmed down and prepared for the holiday period, a light layer of snow carpeted the city. Everyone in the city seemed to be preparing for Christmas. After all, even I was going to get a week-long break. Though not much of it was actually used for breaking.

I packed up my things in the office and prepared to head back home. On the way out, I quickly dropped by Tsurube's office to tell her that I was leaving. Upon opening the door, I found her forehead buried in a pile of paper.

Having not wanted to ask anything more, I dismissively called out to her. "Yo, Tsurube I'm heading back."

Tsurube's head quickly shot up like a startled fowl; she seemed to be half angry and half embarrassed at her current predicament. But upon having seen my face, her expression laxened.

"Oh, it's just you Kasumi." She pouted.

"Yup, yup, it's just me, Kasumi, signing out..."

Just as I was headed out the front doors, I heard Tsurube's voice calling out to me from down the hallway. "Hey I'm planning a Christmas party at the hot springs. Wanna come?"

"I'll think about it…"

"All right." She approached me and added, "make sure to invite Asuha as well."

I nodded and waved Tsurube goodbye. The weather today was chilly, but not cold. It made your body want to shiver as you step outside, but not so cold that you feel like you would be frozen solid. I began my walk back home to my apartment, which was pretty far away considering it was assigned to me while I was still in the military branch.

Recently, Asuha had been coming over practically everyday to consult me with her city head work. While I really didn't mind it, I really wished she consulted me more regarding her work instead of just asking me to do it for her while she played on her phone. _I really don't like work._

As I returned home, I tried to focus on the sound of the snow crunching under my feet while my body grew heavier with each step. The exhaustion was really getting to me. While work was supposed to end at six, I usually went home around eight.

The environment in the manufacturing branch hasn't really changed since I first arrived. Everyone constantly worked overtime to satisfy the demands of Tsurube's tyranny. Though with the absence of Renge, the office seemed to be just a bit duller. The only meaningful change for me, though, was the fact that Urushibata seemed to be at a loss as to how he should talk me in the office. Urushibata was my senior, and with all his macho masculinity he really wasn't nicest person around. And it seemed my disdain towards him was reciprocated as I was certain he took every opportunity to make my work as difficult as possible. He couldn't seem to continue with his unpleasantness since I was now the subhead of Chiba. It really did make my time at work a lot more pleasant though, because he stopped using his seniority to boss me around, even if my workload didn't go down a single bit.

As I walked past the city centre, I was greeted with students strolling around and enjoying their evening. A sweet and savoury aroma greeted me as the scent of noodle broth mixed with that of freshly baked bread. Chiba was the third and weakest of the three defence cities that protected the nation from the unknown. However, recent advancement in both military and non military branches thanks to the likes of Tsurube and Natsume had pretty much brought Chiba on par with Tokyo and Kanagawa.

I quickly stepped into a bakery and bought some sandwiches to bring to work tomorrow, along with a bag of sunflower seeds for me to enjoy with Asuha later in the evening. Since it was close to Christmas, a lot of people also got off work early, making the bakery more stuffy than usual. I caught several glazes looking my way, yet whenever I look back, they seem to disperse and turn into quiet whispers. I could feel the goosebumps rising from my skin from the attention I was receiving. I dashed out of the store immediately after checkout, after taking a few deep breaths, I went to the supermarket to pick up some groceries for dinner.

The supermarket was filled with a variety of foods that you would usually find in a supermarket, but also some more outlandish varieties thanks to the work of the manufacturing branch. I walked past a crowd of people gathered around a shelf of cucumbers which bore both the taste and appearance of candy cane, a product which some of the older folks came up with.

I mostly stuck to the standardized garden variety of foods such as carrots and potatoes. While they might not be as interesting or as delicious as the foods that Tsurube had created, their taste reminded me of the days back with my parents, before the world was invaded by the [unknown]. The only non-mundane thing I bought was a cute looking bottle of plum juice which Asuha specifically requested yesterday.

It was almost seven thirty when I got home. I opened the door to find Asuha sleeping on the couch. She did not seem to notice me opening the door, as upon hearing my footsteps her body bolted upright within the blink of an eye.

"Geez!" She yelled. "You could've at least knocked."

"Ahh… well…You see..." I tried to comment on how this was in fact my apartment and that her dorm was about one kilometre east of here.

"Whatever, welcome back." She tilted her head to the side, trying to peek at what I brought back in my bag. "Did you buy it…"

"Here…" I handed her the plum drink that I bought earlier, which she took happily from my hand. She then proceeded back to her couch and shuffled around lazily as she found a position that she was satisfied with.

"Onii, you're home early today."

"Well, it's Christmas."

"Yeah…"

"Is there anything you want to eat?" I asked as I unloaded all of the groceries into the fridge.

"No…"

Stew it was then. She had commented before on how she seemed to enjoy my and only my stew. As I started cutting the potatoes I heard Asuha say something about the bath before I heard pleasant humming coming from the bathroom. I shook my head and continued the preparation of the stew.

It occurred to me that through everything that happened, I had finally achieved my goal of being by her side. All that was left was to protect the precious position that we were in. It was up to me to ensure that I would continue to be by her side, even if it meant fighting the Unknowns, the other cities, or even the administration. I'd make sure to never lose her voice again.

I let out a lazy yawn as I leaned against the kitchen counter, relishing Asuha's singing. Just as the stew was coming to boil, Asuha stepped out of the shower. She was wearing some pink underwear and had a towel wrapped around her upper body. She walked next to me and pressed her body against mine, stretching her neck to peek at the stew brewing in the pot.

"Onii, you're so slow." She complained. But upon realizing my uncomfortable situation she took a few steps back and chuckled. "That's totally gross you know."

 _Maybe if you actually put on some clothes._

She once again climbed back onto her couch and made herself comfortable. "How was your patrol today?" I asked. Having realized that it would be a while before the stew would be ready, I grabbed a seat with her on the other end of the couch.

"Eh?" She seemed to have been a bit startled by the sinking of the sofa created by the additional weight.

"Well, normal I guess…" She replied without so much as lifting her head. I leaned my head back onto the sofa, stretching out my arms and stared at the ceiling. It was nice like this, the times when we were just besides each other, embracing each other's presence.

Without me noticing, Asuha crawled along the couch and snuggled her head against my lap. As I was about to raise my head, I felt her soft fingers grab on to my face, pulling it towards hers. My face instantly lit up with red, as did hers. Suddenly becoming conscious of her actions, she quickly let go. The next few seconds, in which we stared awkwardly at each other, seemed to pass in slow motion. Just as I was starting to notice how cute Asuha suddenly became, my thoughts were interrupted.

"Hey... Onii," she said tentatively, breaking the tension in the air. "Go over this year's military budget tonight, okay?"

"Huh? What do you mean go over this year's military budget? That's definitely your job."

"Well you're here aren't you?"

"So what if I am?"

"So you'll do it then."

I sighed, it was pointless trying to make her do any work.

"Dear Asuha, can you do the dishes tonight while your brother is preoccupied with your work?" I asked sarcastically in my sweetest voice. Her body tensed up and her face became flustered upon hearing me talk to her like that.

"Um...no. Definitely, definitely not." She responded while frivolously shaking her head. "You're being super super gross you know?"

"Ah…" I tried to come up with a reply but instead the room was suddenly filled with a loud sizzling sound as some of the stew boiled over. I quickly shoved Asuha aside and rushed to turn off the stove.

"Idiot..." I heard someone mutter followed by soft giggles much to my hurt feelings.

"Dinner's ready." I called out to her as I made the final preparations for the meal, which mostly consisted of microwaving some leftovers from yesterday and cutting up some fruits I took back with me from the manufacturing department.

Asuha slowly arose from her nest and stretched her arms out in the air. While letting out a long yawn, her barely open eyes and her messy, curly hair that went down to her thighs made her look like a bear getting out of hibernation.

While stretching her arm out, she let the towel covering her upper body fall haphazardly to the ground while slipping into a shirt that she had prepared earlier. We sat down around the tiny dinner table and Asuha quickly dug into the food without any intention of showing any respect.

While I really didn't mind, it would've been nice if she showed appreciation for her brother more often. Something along the lines of asking me how my day went, or whether there was anything I wanted to do, or anything which I needed help with. But again, asking me any of those things would probably result in a half-assed response, so I don't really blame her.

The rest of the day passed by uneventfully as I sat myself down in front of the computer while Asuha fidgeted with her phone and cracked sunflower seeds on my bed. By the time I was done, it was already one in the morning, and there weren't any sunflower seeds left. With Asuha already steadily asleep on my bed, I had no choice but to hit the sofa.

I woke up to the blaring sound of the alarm coming from under the sofa cushions; putting it in such a place made turning it off without actually getting up practically impossible. As usual, by the time I woke up, Asuha had already left for her morning patrols. I sluggishly brushed my teeth and washed my face in preparation for another day of work. Getting out of bed might just be the hardest thing to do each day seeing as how I really didn't care about this world. But having Asuha stay the night with me probably made the process that much easier.

To my delight, as I stepped into the kitchen to make breakfast, I was greeted with the sight of an omelette and two pieces of toast already set out for me on the table.

 _Thanks Asuha._


	2. Chapter Two

I arrived at my office at precisely 8:50. After signing in, I sat down at my desk and opened my computer for another day of work. I noticed that the holiday plague had infected even the uninspiring employees of the manufacturing branch. As I took a sip of my morning tea, my ears were not greeted by the click-clack of keyboard keys being apathetically pressed. Instead, the office was filled with a soft, merry chatter.

"Hey, Kasumi…" The boy next to me, Itou, whispered. He was an average-looking guy, who joined the manufacturing branch a few months before I did, even though I was older than him. "Did you hear about the Christmas tree they're putting up in Kanagawa?"

It really surprised me that Rai would talk to me about something as casual as this; we rarely conversed about anything except work. It was natural that I couldn't give him an appropriate response. I looked at him and chuckled awkwardly, then turned my head back to the computer and resumed typing.

 _Talk about being festive._

I checked my agenda for the day. My to do was list written in an obnoxious bold red font, as if it was made just to taunt me. Adjustment of supplies, collecting outstanding receivables, inventory tracking on holiday merchandise, preparation of a new budget, checking for accruals... the list dragged on. I let out a lowly sigh and started to type away on my keyboard.

It wasn't long before Urushibata came barging into the office. The door slammed open with a loud _Whack_ revealing his grand entrance to the entire office _._ All heads turned towards him as he let out a thundering "Ho, ho, ho!" in his santa suit. This was met with a mixture of chuckles and murmurs, which could generous be summarized by the word _idiot._ As if he wasn't yet satisfied with disturbing everyone's work, he continued his Santa roleplay and continued to molest kids.

"Has everyone been a good kid this year?" His voice projected itself across the office. "As you all know, Christmas is coming up and Santa Claus is making final decisions on who's going to be on the naughty list. If you don't work hard for our great leader Asagao-chan, you definitely won't be getting a Christmas present this year!"

Instantly the office was filled with commotion as the older guys told Urushibara to go prithee transport thyself to tarnation while the younger employees whispered and giggled among each other. Before the commotion managed to die down, a furious looking Tsurube walked into the office which promptly silenced all sounds emanating from the office.

"How many time do I need tell you Urushibara, that's not how it works!" Tsurube yelled. She looked to her left, then to her right, and finally at me. Trying to hide her own embarrassment, she continued. "Since it's been a big year for us at the manufacturing department of Chiba, I thought that a gift exchange between employees would be a nice way for us to get to know each other more…"

There was silence in the office for a few moments as the usually uptight boss said something quite out of character. After deciding that she has made her point clear, she turned around and headed back to her own cubicle. Even after the door had closed behind her, the entire office seemed to be still perplexed at the absurdity of Tsurube's suggestion.

I turned back to my computer and checked the report for the remaining office supplies again. Once I made sure everything was in the right order, I packaged the journalized entries and sent them to Tsurube via email.

I wondered her gift exchange idea was also part of Tsurube's plan to make Chiba a better place. While I wouldn't say that our branch was cold and uninteresting, it certainly seemed that work culture was more interesting than in the past. Workers would regularly organize dinner outings and game nights that were sponsored by the company to improve employee relationships in hopes of higher efficiency.

Employees all throughout Chiba never knew that such luxury existed, much less experienced it. The points system made it so that it was everyone for themselves. Personal success depended on individual achievement like the fruits that Asagao designed, the tea that Renge brewed, and the unknowns that Asuha shot down. Things that were were a group effort like the hot spring, despite being widely popular, barely boosted anyone's personal ranking.

Just as I leaned my head back to take another sip of tea, a notification popped up on my computer screen. It was a message from Tsurube telling me to go to her office. I was a bit shocked at the request, as generally she would just come to me to tell me something.

Tsurube's office was down the hallway to the main office where everyone worked. It was a humble sized cubicle stuffed to the brim with boxes full of documents and a variety of other strange things. Despite the fact that stuff seemed to be overflowing, the office itself didn't seem messy.

Standing outside her office, I knocked before opening the door. "Ah...Kasumi, you're here." She greeted me as I stepped into the room and took a seat.

"Hey Tsurube, you need anything?" Cutting straight to the chase, I kinda wanted to get back to my work as soon as possible.

"Ah… well…" She looked kind of nervous as she fumbled around with her words. "Have you decided whether you're coming to the Christmas party?"

"Oh that…" I briefly considered her request, it wasn't like I had anything planned on Christmas anyways. "Sure… why not."

After hearing my response Tsurube immediately let out a sigh of relief, for a brief moment I wondered if this was why I was called to her office. She looked cute by letting her bangs fall onto her forehead naturally when she relaxed.

Tsurube suddenly perked up asked, "what about Asuha-chan, did you ask her?"

Oh shoot... I totally forgot about that, and I did promise her I'd ask Asuha. "Sorry Tsurube… well you see I was a bit busy yesterday and it totally slipped my mind…"

"Ah… that's okay, just make sure you ask her today okay?"

"Sure, you can count on it."

A few moments passed with the two of us sitting in her office, Tsurube was fidgeting around and seemed like she wanted to say something. Not knowing what it was I was just about to ask her when she suddenly asked "I was thinking whether you can help me set up the Christmas party? I know I was the one who proposed it… but I really have no idea what things people would be interested, especially among the boys."

She said that sentence was said so fast that it took me a while to decipher the meaning and another few seconds for the absurdity of the request to sink in. I couldn't contain my laughter at the situation that I'm in. "Well, I don't think I'll be of much help…"

"Don't worry about it Kasumi, you don't have to do much." Tsurube seemed to understand my concerns as she immediately cut me off. "There are just some questions I want to ask you about, like to get your input on some things, you know?"

"Fine…"

Tsurube seemed to be a lot more relaxed now that she has achieved her goal, she happily dismissed me along with a few other things that she wanted me to take care of. It was eight o'clock for me then…

As the day turned into night, the sky was filled with an ominous layer of dark grey clouds as it started raining. The rain struck against the window panes like machine gun fire while the thunder supplemented the cannon fire.

By the time I had finished up my work the office was nearly empty because of the bad weather except for a few employees that were desperate to finish up their uncompleted projects. As I headed down the corridor to the exit, I noticed Tsurube busily typing away on her keyboard. Seeing that she seemed to be immersed in whatever she was doing, I decided to save some information regarding work for tomorrow and quietly headed out the main doors.


	3. Chapter Three

It was eight thirty when I opened the door to my single roomed apartment. I was greeted with an irritated look on Asuha's face.

"What took you so long?" She said.

"I had to do some overtime…" I casually explained. "And besides, this is when I usually get home isn't it? Yesterday was just an exception."

"Whatever… I'm hungry, let's go out to eat."

She was already dressed up and waiting by the door instead of lazing on the bed in her pajamas, a rare sight to behold. She got up and finally seemed to notice my drenched clothes.

"Huh?" Her face became even more irritated. "You forgot your umbrella again?"

"Well...the weather was supposed to be clear today."

"Well it's not, don't you at least have an umbrella or something at your office?" Her tone seemed to soften a bit. "Anyways… go get changed already, you're gonna catch a cold."

I quickly dashed in my room, trying to get as little water to drip inside the apartment as possible. I shut the door and took off the drenched clothes that covered my body and quickly looked for some new ones. For a second, I wondered if I should wear something nice while going out with Asuha. Quickly realizing the bizarreness of the idea, I simply grabbed the standard Chiba work dress and headed to meet Asuha.

Asuha was waiting quietly at the entrance while checking her phone. As I approached her eyes became fixed on me as she looked me over from top to bottom.

"What?" I asked, feeling slightly uncomfortable.

"Tch…" She turned and looked away, she stretched out her arms and let out a lazy yawn.

I was bend over against the shoe rack reaching for my umbrella which had fallen into the coat closet when I felt a soft kick against my back.

"Let's go already." Asuha complained as she got up and opened the door to a gust of wind which blew rain all over her body. Shook, she let out a quiet yelp and quickly closed the door.

"Leave it to me." I said as I stepped in front of Asuha and opened the door once again, the wind tonight was strong, and I was presented with the same blast of water that splashed Asuha earlier. Unfazed, I quickly stepped out of my apartment and opened up the umbrella that I brought earlier. Under the umbrella, I let out my hands towards Asuha. She took my hand as I pulled her towards me. Together, under the cover of the umbrella, we headed out for dinner.

The rain died down a bit as we wandered through the streets of Chiba. The light drizzle following the thunderstorm covered the streets with an eerie aura. When we entered the light filled streets of the city centre, I noticed a worried expression plagued Asuha's face.

We arrived at an intersection near the military branch office. It was just after nine and the streets were mostly empty. The evening felt surprisingly warm considering the fact that it snowed just yesterday. To our right was a flashing neon sign of a noodle shop, I closed my umbrella and stepped inside the building with Asuha.

"Yo, Kasumi, Asuha, good evening." The shop owner called out to us from behind the counter. As I looked around, I realized that the building was empty except for just the three of us.

"The business isn't too good today huh." Commented Asuha as we seated ourselves at a table.

"Well, considering the weather and everything, I was just about to close the shop as well. Most of the employees had already left..." The shop owner sighed and approached us. "What would you like for today?"

My eyes quickly scanned the menu and picked out the first picture that caught my eye. "Fried rice I guess."

"Chicken udon for me…" Muttered Asuha.

The store owner nodded his head and quickly jotted down our requests on a sheet of paper before disappearing into the kitchen.

"Say Asuha, how was your day." I asked offhandedly.

Asuha seemed to be caught off guard by my question as she seemed to be still fumbling around with her thoughts. She straightened her back and avoided eye contact with me. I guess something was up.

"Well you see…" She looked down as if she felt guilty for what she was about to say. "During out patrol today, there were a lot more unknown than we expected… And we weren't the most cautious."

"Was anyone hurt?" I asked, fearing the worst.

"It wasn't too bad, there were a lovey dovey couple who would've probably been killed, but Natsume took the hit instead." Asuha replied while twirling her hair between her fingers.

"Is she okay?" I looked a bit worried.

Asuha chuckled a bit, to my delight. "She's fine, the doctors said she'd be up and running within a week or so. The amount of beating she could take is probably comparable to the guys in Kanagawa"

"That's nice to hear." I nodded. "But Asuha, you ought to be more careful when your out-"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it." Asuha cut me off before I can continue. "You're being annoying again onii."

I sighed and stretched my arms across the table, Asuha's troubled expression was indeed pretty cute. I tilted my head and rested it on one of my arms and stared out the window, waiting for the food to arrive.

After a while, the shop owner finally reappeared from the kitchen with the udon and fried rice that Asuha and I ordered. With the warm and delicious smell food after a cold day of rain and work, we quickly recited out thanks and dug into the food.

The food here was quite good, each ingredient was ingeniously cooked to bring out their own unique flavour, and as these flavours clashed in your mouth, it created a warm otherworldly sensation that excited every possible neuron within the tongue and brain. I took down bite after bite of the rice as if I was suddenly transported to an alternate dimension of golden oily bliss.

I looked over at Asuha enjoying her meal, she seemed to be well absorbed in her meal as well, alternating between bites of udon and sips of her soup. Feeling tired, I stared blankly at Asuha when I remembered Tsurube's request from earlier.

"Asuha?" I tentatively asked.

She didn't appear to hear me as she continued to devour her soup.

"Hey, Asuha?" I asked again, louder this time, while waving my hand in front of her face.

"What is it?" She looked up and asked.

"Does anyone outside of the military know about what happened today?"

"No, you're probably the first one outside of the military branch to know." Asuha's expression suddenly became serious and a bit downcast. I suppose she still felt guilty over what had happened. "You're the subhead, so somebody probably would have officially told you anyways tomorrow. But besides that, the people up top wants to keep the events secret anyways; they're scared that such a thing would cause a major panic among the population."

"It's not your fault you know…" I gently placed my hand over her arm. Asuha's face became flustered and quickly withdrew her arm.

"I...I guess." She muttered.

Now probably wouldn't be the best time to invite Asuha to Tsurube's party. I also became worried about how Tsurube might feel about this. Would it be all right to just not tell her? It wasn't like Natsume Megu was seriously injured or anything. She probably will just pass it off as something about her friend being busy. And besides, there really was no point in informing the general public about the event. However, not telling her felt like an act of betrayal. Tsurube would certainly want to know if something bad had happened to her friend. And she certainly deserved to know...

Shaking my head vigorously I decided to cast the matter the Tsurube out of my head for now. As I stuffed another bite of rice down my mouth Asuha suddenly looked up at me and said: "Say, they told me today that they're transferring you back to the military."

"What?" I was shocked, I was just transferred out not too long ago, for good reasons as well. "Who told you that?"

"One of the adults, they plan on telling you directly tomorrow at the tri-city meeting."

"The what?"

"Huh, don't tell me you forgot onii... you're supposed to come to the tri-city meeting with me tomorrow." She Asuha as she rested her head on her hand and looked at me disappointedly.

It has occured to me that I totally forgot about the meeting, it was lost among the countless number of tasks that I had to do for Tsurube. Truth be told, the tri-city was simply a meeting where the heads and subheads of each city gathered to discuss their issues, by flipping through the records however, it's pretty obvious that nothing important really gets discussed.

"Ah...Sorry," I softly muttered as I fumbled around looking for my phone to send a text to Tsurube about my leave tomorrow. I've let out a defeated sigh after checking all my pockets twice.

"What's wrong onii? You're coming, aren't you?" Asuha asked while finishing up her food.

"Yeah, I was just looking for my phone to text Tsurube, we had some things planned tomorrow."

"Forehead-san?" Asuha chuckled. "Must suck for her."

"Right?"

"You look worried onii, that's so unlike you." She said amusingly.

"Huh?" I was a bit confused as I tried to guess what Asuha meant, but quickly gave up as the shop owner came around with our tabs.

"Hope you guys enjoyed your meals." The store owner cheerfully greeted us.

"Uh-huh, they were pretty good." Asuha enthusiastically replied as she got up and dragged me out of my seat. "Let's go see the Christmas lights."

"What?" I was surprised by Asuha's sudden request. "I've gotta get home to do work Asuha. And plus, I still need to tell Tsurube I can't go to work because of the meeting tomorrow."

"Tsk." Asuha annoyingly looked at me, she seemed to be more than ticked off. "Haven't you worked enough? You come home late everyday and refuse to stop working even when you're home. Don't you love work way too much?"

"Well, I don't really understand how I'll turn into a slime. And I don't really like work.'

"Well, for starters, I don't do work. But if you're that desperate onii, I guess I could lend a hand every now and then…" She recited while looking down at her hand lazily, she then grabbed my arm and dragged me towards the town centre where all the Christmas decorations were set up.

The previously empty streets began to fill up as more and more people came out of their homes to admire the festive scenery after the rain. Not before long, the streets of Chiba were filled with couples holding hands and packs of girls chattering amongst each other. The addition of people seemed to have brought the scenery to life as I walked down the street while locking arms with Asuha.

Many people seemed to recognize Asuha as suggested by the frequent stops we had to make because of the people that greeted her. All this made me slightly uncomfortable as I pulled her closer towards me. However, this absent-minded gesture did not go unnoticed by the reed-haired girl beside me.

"Ah, onii, aren't you holding on to me a bit too tightly?" She snickered. "It's kinda gross, and people are going to get the wrong idea about us."

"Nah, you're too popular Asuha, as your brother, this is for your own safety."

Asuha chuckled as she snuggled up even closer besides me. "That's pretty funny. It's just you're so weak onii, it's more sad than funny honestly."

"You're always saying these things Asuha-chan, how about choosing words that wouldn't hurt your brother so much next time?"

"Then you ought to start working out onii." She then turned her body sideways and started squeezing my biceps.

"Oww!" I exclaimed "Please be gentler Asuha."

"See?" She gave me a displeased look "That just proves my point."

"No way… There's no way I'm going to become one of those muscle heads in the military branch."

"Then you should at least become fit." She ran ahead of me and called back. "Or else you're going to fall behind onii."

 _Keeping up with Asuha huh,_ I thought as I began chasing Asuha across the streets. I gasped for breath as my lanky body pushed on with each step. Despite it being almost Christmas, I found myself starting to sweat as I tried to follow the red-haired girl in front of me.

Asuha stopped in front of the Christmas tree that China had set up in the town square through the courtesy of the engineering branch. Although judging from the gossip within the office, it was nowhere near as grand as the one that Kanagawa apparent set up, but nevertheless, it was still a spectacle to behold.

I stood alongside her to admire the Christmas tree, the tree itself was round five metres tall. The lights wrapped around the tree glowed in a variety of colours, changing from yellow to red, then to purple, and the back again; all the while emitting some sort of glowing particle that slowly floated down to the floor like snow. At the top of the tress was a bright yellow star with two glowing ornaments in an orbit around it. As the ornaments traveled around the central star, they left behind trails of light from which even more glowing particles were emitted. No doubt that this tree was the result of someone's world, or perhaps, the worlds of numerous people.

"Wow," I muttered under my breath.

"Mmm…" Asuha responded while slightly nodding her head. "But shouldn't the Christmas tree be livelier?"

"Huh?"

"Like shouldn't there be like train tracks wrapped around the trees along with the lights so that a train can drive around to deliver chocolate to people?"

"What kind of Christmas tree has an operational train?" I asked with a slightly bewildered face.

"It doesn't have to be operational," she explained, "it just has to move around delivering candy."

"No way, that doesn't make sense, where are they going to get all the chocolate?"

"That's your problem." Asuha responded with a slight grimace.

"Sure, sure," I responded dismissively. "I've got a bit more free time, so let's walk around a bit."

Asuha chuckled softly and together we walked around the town square to check out the various Christmas decorations set out by the various shops and booths. Despite the fact that I didn't exchange much words with Asuha's presence was enough for me to enjoy this walk, just as I thought that maybe this endeavour was worth the couple hours of missed work we ran into a group of all too familiar looking boys on our way back to the dorm.

It was Urushibara with a new stitch along his forehead walking along his grunt friends, I noticed that he walked with a bit of a limp. I was kinda curious whether the cause of that was because he was drunk, or because he had suffered physical trauma to an area other than his head. He seemed to notice me as well and called out to me with his low gruff voice.

"Hey, Chigusa," he called out. His speech was a bit slurred. "Wha'cha doing the late out in the night? Overtime again"

He then gave let out a series of laughter interrupted by the occasional. To my comical relief, a wave of panic spread across the faces of the muscle heads as they spotted the face of Asuha. Soon after, a stream of apologies in Urushibara followed while nonsense continued to spill out of his obviously drunk mouth.

I felt a soft tug on my shirt and looked over at Asuha. It was clear that she wasn't enjoying the pathetic state of Urushibara as much as I was. I nodded to her and we quickly moved away from the gang.

"What's wrong with that guy," Asuha asked with disdain. "We should've just left him in the cell to die."

"That's a bit cruel don't you think?" I responded.

"Well maybe I should relieve him of his position then..." She replied while thinking of more ways to punish Urushibara. "Or maybe transfer him to the restroom sanitation branch."

I broke out a chuckle and really doubted that such a department really existed, but after seeing Asuha's stern gaze I quickly composed myself.

"He's alright I guess." I wasn't really defending Urushibara, I was just trying to shield my precious sister from such meaningless thoughts.

"Ehh… but he looks like a pain."

"I'll manage, don't worry about it Asuha" I said while giving her a weak smile.

"Well… if you say so onii," Asuha replied. After walking for a while in silence, she added, "Forehead girl and this guy, you sure work with some weird people, but it's not like I care anyways."

"Ah…I guess so"


	4. Chapter Four

Chapter 4

I stepped onto the train that was headed towards the administration bureau. I casually took a seat on the empty train and Asuha sat beside me, we didn't really talk. I quickly scrolled through and reviewed the topics of discussion today as I sat silently on my seat. I wasn't prepared for the meeting at all, I had forgotten about it until Asuha reminded me yesterday. The walk with Asuha took away what little time I had left to prepare. I saw a message pop up from the top of my screen, it was from Tsurube telling me that she'll be alright for the day.

Before I knew it, a loud metallic screech signaled our arrival. As I stepped off the train, I realized that despite it being around rush hour, the station, like the train, was completely devoid of life. The station had three separate tracks that led into it, presumably one for each of the defence cities. I looked around for the exit and Asuha followed closely behind me. I felt a soft tugging of my shirt, and resisted the urge to blush, thinking back to the day when she followed me to work at night. Except unlike the darkness that surrounded us back then, we were now surrounded by a piercing white light. I felt my eyes burn from the fluorescent bulbs that lined the ceiling, holding back tears as I squinted around in search for the exit. The sound of our footsteps echoed off the pristine marble floor as we turned randomly corridor after corridor. Just as I was about to tell Asuha that we were lost, out of the corner of my eye I spotted the double glass doors that presumably led to the outside world.

I exited the train station only to find ourselves yet on top of another platform, as I stepped out, a blast of cool mist hit my face, I couldn't see very well, but I was able to make out that the train station was suspended beside a mountain, and that the entire station was supported by two gigantic concrete pillars that disappeared into the fog below. The platform was kind of like a bridge, in terms that it connected the mountain with the train station, yet it is far too wide to be actually considered a bridge. Bridges were supposed to be skinny, the platform was more like a dock, with landing pads for helicopters. We walked to the other side of the platform where it connected with the side of the mountain and in front of us was a pair of escalators leading into the fog. Neither Asuha nor I were too keen on boarding the escalator, but a quick glance around quickly told us that the escalators was the only route. We stepped onto the escalator side by side. I tightly held onto the railing with one hand and Asuha's shoulder with the other. As we moved through the fog, I made a note to myself that this was the most bizarre way to scale a mountain. We rode the escalator for perhaps two hundred metres before stopping.

The land here was flat, with rolling hills that resembled a medieval village. A distinct contrast from the dull concrete and iron railing of the platform dock. There were what appeared to be farms and orchards, and even a church. The entire place was covered with grass and red autumn leaves that had fallen off the trees. Even the weather was different, the gloomy fog had dissipated leaving behind a bright sun and a warm breeze.

"Hey, Onii," Asuha gently tugged on my shirt. "Isn't this kinda creepy?"

I looked around, wondering what she was talking about, when I suddenly realized that we have yet to see a single living soul since our departure from Chiba. "Yeah, this place seems pretty deserted. Maybe it's because the adults work here."

"Man…" Asuha sighed, "That sounds a bit like you…"

"Please stop saying things like that…" I meekly responded while Asuha let out a small chuckle.

We followed a stone path to another set of escalators which took up all the way to a building on the hilltop; the hilltop itself, was occupied entirely by said building. Once we were inside, we were greeted by a security guard who scanned the chips on the back of our necks, confirming our identity.

"Ah… Welcome," The man said as he handed us a tablet. "Please follow the instructions given to you on the tablet, it will guide you towards your destination."

Both me and Asuha gave the man a slight bow without responding and proceeded into the building. The building's interior greatly resembled that of the train station, It was meticulously clean. As I headed towards the meeting room, I could catch glimpses of the adults carrying on with their daily work, rushing around with bags and duffels of documents.

On the tablet was a red dot representing our location, a white dotted line showed us which way to go. After making about 32 turns and riding 4 different elevators, I stepped through an empty hallway and entered the meeting room with Asuha.

"Ahh! Welcome," A short girl with pale hair enthusiastically greeted us. Her volume and eagerness managed to surprise both me and Asuha.

"My name is Tenkawa Maihime, and this is Nabariya Kurisu." She gestured towards the voluptuous blonde behind her. "And we are the leaders of Kanagawa."

"Achem…" I nervously cleared my throat. "My name is Chigusa Kasumi, and this is my sister Asuha. And we're from Chiba."

 _"What a wimpy introduction…"_ I heard a soft mutter behind me.

"Ah! Nice to meet you Chigusa-kun and Chigusa-chan." Tenkawa called out while running up to us and shaking our hands.

I couldn't help but blush a bit as I touched the hand of another girl, however, it soon became evident that this was no ordinary girl. As expected of the leader of Kanagawa for nine years running. Despite the fact that the three defence cities had very few interactions over the years, there is probably not a single soul within the Kanto region that did not know her name. Her grip was so strong that I could feel my bones cracking. Yet the smile on her face was so pure and innocent that I had to focus all my efforts at hiding my signs of discomfort.

After the warm introduction from Tenkawa, I sat down at our designated seats to the left of Kanagawa. Out of the six seats in the room, only four were filled so far, I looked over at the two empty seats to the right of Tenkawa. The heads of Tokyo were nowhere to be seen.

Time passed in awkwardly as we waited for the arrival of the Tokyo heads. As I mentally rehearsed the meeting in my head while Asuha played on her phone. We waited for around thirty minutes when finally the doors of the meeting room opened. In walked two adults, one male and one female. They seemed worried, which probably meant that being tardy or absent in these tri-city meetings weren't common practise.

The female spoke up first. "Sorry guys, but unfortunately, the officials of Tokyo couldn't make it today. "

As soon as the woman stopped talking, the man who stood beside her immediately gave out a gruff and hearty laugh. "But enough with that Airi." His laugh resembled his appearance, he was a bulky, gruff looking man, more on the unrefined side as people go.

He looked over to us and smiled, "we're here to congratulate you two on surviving your first months as city heads. I'm sure it was pretty tough for you guys."

I nervously nodded in response.

"Anyways, Kasumi and Asuha, from the reports we've been receiving you guys seems to be doing great in Chiba, so there's no need for this meeting to drag on for too long, I'm sure we each have business to attend to afterwards. My name is Asanami, Asanami Kyutoku. And this is Airi Yuunami. We're responsible for coordinating the cooperation of the three defence cities."

"I'm really looking forward to working with the both of you." Yuunami added.

The meeting went on normally with Asanami and Yuunami asking some questions about the situation in Kanagawa and Chiba. From the sounds of it, neither Tenkawa nor her subhead seemed to be very capable as far as financial accountability goes; as most of the meeting was spent clearing up some confusion regarding Tenkawa's reports.

It was not towards the end as we were preparing to leave did Kyutoku tell me about my transfer back to the military branch. Apparently they thought I could put my brain into good use there. Not that I really cared.

As I was stepping out, Kyutoku called out to me, "Hey, Kasumi, Asuha, we're sending in two special agents from the bureau, upper brass' orders. Just let them do their jobs, their mission won't interfere with your daily routines."

I was a bit startled by this announcement. Although not publicly discussed, but the bureau members has always raised a certain amount of fear within the inhabitants of the defence cities. These special agents were raised not with the intention of combating the unknowns, but to combat humans that possess the power of the world. The need for these special agents arose when some students lost control of their worlds a while back. It was the bureau's way of keeping the defence cities safe from delinquents, or so they say. It has always been rumoured that these special agents were also tasked with removing those who the bureau found problematic. It is the bureau agents that are called for a quick, albeit brutal defusal of the situation. The fact that there would be two coming to visit Chiba certainly will do little to lighten my workload.

We followed Tenkawa out the office building, who understandably knew her way around very well, considering that she's been attending these for eight years already. As I took the elevator down the hill with Asuha in tow, Tenkawa, who was in front of me, suddenly turned towards her and asked. "Say, since you two looks like you're good people, is it okay if I call you guys Asuha-chan and Kasumi-kun from now on? And plus, calling you guys by your last names can get confusing right?"

Asuha seemed a bit flustered but nevertheless gave a quick nod. "And you're Maihime-chan right?"

"Yup!" She smiled enthusiastically. "Let's be friends from now on Asuha, okay? Erm... and you too Kasumi-kun!"

"Yeah… sure thing." I awkwardly responded.

Tenkawa was one of those people who has the innate ability to cheer up everyone around her. Judging from her size and physique It was hard to believe that this girl is in fact the top scoring student in the entire Kanto region for almost a decade. But I was glad, at least it was clear that Tenkawa will pose no threat to me and Asuha's wellbeing. In fact, we probably did make a valuable friend today indeed.

While watching Maihime's train leave I realized that the station was no longer deserted like when we came. There were kids in uniforms that belonged to neither of the three defence cities rushing into a third train, bound for Tokyo. These were probably the special agents trained by the bureau, the fact that there are this many of them rushing towards Tokyo must've been linked to the absence of the Tokyo heads at the meeting today. As Asuha and I arrived at the train heading to Chiba, we were greeted by two unfamiliar girls wearing the standard Chiba uniform.


	5. Chapter 5

"Hello, my name is Akira," said the first girl. She was wall and slender. Her hair was black reaching down to her back, and bangs covered most of her forehead. "And this is my partner, Rindou-san."

"Nice to meet you." Said the other girl politely.

"You too…" I replied while scratching my head. "We're the heads of Chiba, would you like a tour of the city or anything beforehand?"

"No, but thanks." Replied Akira. "We will be operating undercover, so we try to lay as low as possible. It would be best if nobody noticed our presence."

"I understand, then I'm assuming all your living details are covered for then."

"Yes, that is correct. You needn't to be worried about us, please carry on with your duties as head per usual."

Ah I most certainly will. In fact, I really didn't want anything to do with the bureau. The fact that they made their presence known to me and Asuha probably meant that it had nothing to do with us. And since it has nothing to do with us, then it's none of our problem.

The train rolled across the countryside, arriving at the Aqua line, the frontier which the unknowns tend to usually attack. With the sun setting, the line as of now seemed quite peaceful. A warm gradient of orange and red filled the sky as waves rhythmically hit the shoreline.

"Whoa, it's so peaceful here today." I remarked.

"Stupid onii, this place is usually like this… it's because you're always such a shut in."

She was right in a way, the only times where I came here was when the place was under attack, compared to her who probably patrols here multiple times per week.

Asuha and I got off the train and arrived at one of the streets of Chiba, it was dark now, but the streets were still filled with people. Groups of girls chatting among themselves, boys talking about the latest movie released in Tokyo, and couples visiting the various restaurants that lined the street.

"Got any plans for tonight onii?"

Asuha's sudden question reminded me of Tsurube's request for me to invite Asuha to her party. The request that I have failed to carry out during dinner yesterday. Maybe today would be a better time since Asuha probably feels less guilty about Natsume's injury. Or maybe...

"Are you even listening?"

"Ah, oh, erm... I don't." I was quickly brought back by Asuha's clearly annoying tone. "What about you? Do you have any plans on Christmas eve?"

"What are you saying onii? You're definitely not paying attention." She seemed to be a bit flustered. "No, I don't."

"Then wanna come with me to Tsurube's Christmas party?"

"Forehead girl's party?" She seemed to pause for a moment before glowing beet red. "like together as a couple?"

"Wha- what are you saying Asuha-chan, it was actually Tsurube who invited you." I blushed in return, just realizing the way I phrased the question was quite embarrassing to say the least. Perhaps my subconsciousness was trying to tell me something.

Asuha looked unimpressed, "Well I'm not really a part of the manufacturing branch, so I don't wanna go."

"It's not about the manufacturing branch, it's probably going to be just us, Natsume, and Urushihabara. And plus, Tsurube has worked pretty hard to plan everything out as well, it would be too rude to decline."

"Not that I really care…" muttered Asuha. "But if you're so insistent on me going then fine, I'll tag along."

"Ah… Thanks Asuha."

"Sure, sure." She waved her hand dismissively at me. "Since you're making such a gross face… Anyways, I was asking you if you had any plans for tonight. Like right now, this moment."

I had completely forgotten about the question; I didn't really have anything particular in mind. "I was just planning on making a trip to my office to check up on stuff."

"Eh… really?" Asuha eyed me suspiciously.

"Well yeah, since I missed a whole day of work and everything."

"But I'm hungry," she complained.

I reached into my pocket and grabbed my wallet, pulling out some money. "Take this and buy yourself some snacks then." I said while handing her the money.

"Oh… Thanks onii!" Asuha's eyes seemed to glow at the thought of getting snacks. She quickly took the money and left for the food stands.

I shook my head as her childish behaviour as I continued walking towards the manufacturing branch office. The office lights were off, apart from cubicles manned by overtime employees. I stopped outside of Tsurube's office and knocked.

"Hello? Please come in." I heard her voice replying from within.

I opened the door and stepped into her office. She was buried under a pile of paper while rapidly typing away on her keyboard. "Yo, Asagao." I casually greeted her.

"Ah, it's you Kasumi, how was the meeting?" Tsurube asked.

"It was alright." I replied as I made myself comfortable on her sofa, it was just one of the many amenities that came with being the boss of the whole branch.

"Can you pass me the lab report on the new apple cultivar?" Tsurube asked while pointing to a corner of the office.

"But I literally just sat down."

"Well I'm still your boss, so you'll do as I say."

"I sighed; they're transferring me back to the military you know…" I got up and looked around for the report she was talking about.

"What… You can't be serious. It'll be so lonely without you here."

I blushed at the thought of Tsurube being lonely without me. "I'll come visit often, so don't worry about it."

I picked up the files she asked for and dropped them on her desk. "Well I'm heading off then."

"Where to?" Tsurube asked.

"To do some work in the office."

Tsurube laughed, "I don't get you Kasumi, I'm no longer your boss anymore, why are you still working for me?"

Tsurube's question has caught me off guard. I certainly didn't like doing work. And now that I'm the subhead, there is really no point in helping Tsurube out anymore. "Just Helping out a friend I guess."

Tsurube blushed, she clearly wasn't used to having friends, and having someone refer to her as a friend probably came as a shock. Besides Natsume, whom she rarely sees, the only people she hangs out with are those who work under her in the manufacturing branch.

"Thanks…" she muttered. "Anyways, are you coming to the party?"

Ah yes, the party, I'm glad I asked Asuha today. "Yeah, Asuha's coming as well."

"Oh okay… that's nice-"

Before Tsurube could finish her sentence. The building was filled with an ear-piercing siren going off, accompanied by a flashing red light. Tsurube and I quickly stopped in our tracks and plugged our ears. After what seemed like an eternity, the siren stopped and was replaced with an announcement.

"Attention all citizens of Chiba, the city is going into high alert. All military personnel shall report to the armoured train to await deployment. All civilian personnel shall arm themselves and follow city defence code blue."

"Kasumi, what is happening?" Tsurube asked, clearly confused regarding the situation. "It doesn't look like there's an unknown attack."

Before I could answer, I felt my phone ring. The number was the emergency contact the bureau used. I quickly picked up the phone.

"Hello, hello? This is Asagami. Can everyone hear me?"

"Yup, copy" Maihime's voice called out from the phone. "And Kurisu is here too."

"Yeah I'm here." I heard Asuha's voice as well.

"Me too." I responded to the phone.

"Okay, unfortunately it has just been confirmed that the unknowns have invaded and broken through the defences at Tokyo. It is imperative that we recapture the city. The forces of Kanagawa shall be assigned to break through the enemy lines at sea. While the forces of Chiba will surround the city from land and recapture it." The voice of Asagami seemed stern and confident. To my surprise I felt Tsurube's body pressed against my own as she pressed her head closer to my phone, trying to listen in on the conversation. "Special agents from the bureau have already established an outpost near the city. Kasumi, Asuha, I have sent the location to you on your phones. Please rendezvous with them immediately, we don't know how long they can hold out for. As for Maihime, take your fleet to Tokyo bay and make sure not another unknown gets into the city. That is all, I'm looking forward to the results!"

With that Asagami signed off and left us to our own devices. Only now did I realize how close Tsurube was to me. I could smell her citrus scented hair and hear her ragged breathing. Tsurube had also become away at our position. We stayed like that for a moment, both too embarrassed to move. As if on cue, the door to Tsurube's office bust open as Asuha stormed into the room.

"Onii- "

Like deer in the headlights, Tsurube and I quickly darted away from each other.

It was Tsurube that spoke up first. "It's not what it looks like Asuha-chan. I was just trying to listen in on the Bureau's phone call."

Asuha didn't look convinced, but it seems like that under the current circumstances, she has decided to let things slide. She held up her hand to me, offering me a Takoyaki skewer.

"You… haven't eaten yet right." She said with a slight stutter.

"Ah, thanks Asuha." I happily thanked her. It sure is lucky to have such a thoughtful sister.

"It's whatever…" Asuha responded. "Anyways, let's go. We have to get to the train, everybody is waiting."

Tsurube spoke up once again. "Wait, let me go with you guys."

This made Asuha slightly annoyed, "Didn't you hear the announcement? All civilian personnel are to remain in the city and follow code blue."

Tsurube looked determined, "I know, but with Renge gone Kasumi doesn't have a spotter anymore, so let me help him out."

Asuha looked at Tsurube, and then turned her eyes towards me. "Well since Kasumi's the subhead I'll just let him decide."

While it was true that I no longer had a spotter, but honestly even when I was with Renge she wasn't much help. Combat-wise at least. "I guess there's no problem, especially if we stay back. Besides, Asagao has already been into a battle before, so it's not like she doesn't know what she's getting into." I reasoned. I really can't say no to tsurube can't I?

"Ah, thanks for having me Kasumi." Tsurube exclaimed excitedly.

We arrived at the station, the armoured train was parked, with students and supplies being quickly rushed aboard.

Finding a weapon in this chaos was difficult, since we aren't regulars in the military branch, it was hard to find equipment that fitted us. After all, the regulars would have their own weapons that they fine tune to fit their proportion regularly. Some more experienced students like Asuha even have custom made specialized weapons imported from Kanagawa, instead of the mass-produced types that we're using right now.

I made a quick trip to my old locker and grabbed my old rifle and Renge's old binoculars, although the fit wasn't perfect since the rifle hasn't been calibrated in a while, it was still manageable. I handed the binoculars to Tsurube and went to the nearest repair bench, trying to fix my rifle up as much as I could. I didn't get very far before hearing Asuha's voice calling out from a distance.

"Time's up onii, we gotta go."

With that, the three of us boarded the train, heading towards the heat of battle.


End file.
